Disciplinary differences and other variations in assessment cultures in higher education: exploring variability and inconsistencies in one university in England

This article argues that differing disciplinary assessment cultures are likely to be an important factor in explaining differences in student marks and grades both within and between higher education institutions. Using institution-wide data on undergraduate student marks over the last five years in one UK higher education institution we demonstrate variability in the distribution of marks in terms of the ‘distance travelled’. This issue was further explored via interviews with senior teaching-active staff. We suggest that the distribution of marks is likely to reflect different disciplinary assessment cultures as well as complexity in the process of marking and assessment. These findings signify that it will be highly challenging, if not impossible, to establish nationally comparable learning gain measures using student mark data because of the underlying inconsistencies in the process of awarding marks. In the current higher education context, with the ongoing implementation of the Teaching Excellence Framework, it remains important to debate and further investigate these issues with all stakeholders, including students.     

Perceptions of Portuguese undergraduate students about assessment: a study in five public universities

This paper draws upon a broader piece of research on assessment in higher education, particularly focusing on issues regarding the fairness and effectiveness of the assessment methods and their implications for the learning process. The perceptions of undergraduate students are analysed taking into account the effectiveness and fairness of both traditional and learner-centred assessment methods, as well their influence on the learning process. In total, 624 students participated in this study in five Portuguese Public Universities in different areas of knowledge and programmes. Data were collected through questionnaires. Findings suggest that assessment is seen as more effective and fairer when it is done through the use of learner-centred assessment methods rather than by traditional assessment (e.g. written tests or exams). The students also claim that they devote more time to study when assessment is performed through learner-centred assessment methods than by traditional ones. The most used assessment methods are written tests and oral presentations in group. However, differences in the programmes were identified as well as differences according to gender. Implications of the findings for assessment and for the teaching and learning process are discussed.     

Elaborating a framework for communicating assessment aims in higher education

Assessment is a central feature of student learning in higher education and has a strong influence on the student experience. Accordingly, the appropriate communication of assessment aims is a priority for all higher education institutions. This study proposes an analytical framework for the interpretation and creation of assessments across higher education disciplines. The framework suggests that assessments can be categorised according to rhetorical purposes, formats, modes and group arrangements. Assessments from three degree programmes at one Australian university are analysed using the framework to show its usefulness in classifying and evaluating task components and generating broad images of degrees based on assessment regimes. We draw on these practical applications to explain and compare discipline-specific qualities of each degree, and argue that the framework might enhance the communication of assessment aims to benefit higher education stakeholders.     

Lecturers’ views of assessment design,marking and feedback in higher education: a case for professionalisation?

Abstract

Research on professional assessment practice in higher education does not always take account of lecturers’ perceptions and experiences, or their disciplinary context. This questionnaire study was designed to explore lecturers’ views about three inter-related elements of professional assessment practice: assessment design, marking and feedback. It consisted of two questionnaires: the Assessment Design Inventory (ADI), previously published, and the Assessment, Marking and Feedback Inventory (AMFI) which was newly developed for this study. The two main purposes of the research were to: i) establish the validity of these two questionnaires as research tools, ii) explore the existence of professional practice in assessment and analyse any perceived hindrances as well as possible effects of participants’ subject discipline. 356 lecturers from two UK universities, with a range of teaching experience and representing soft and hard disciplines, took part. Results indicated that the ADI and the AMFI were robust instruments. Findings showed evidence of assessment professionalism, but also some areas where it was lacking, together with a perceived need for formal training. Participants recognised that there were certain hindrances in putting their pedagogical beliefs into practice. The implications of this study are discussed in terms of advancing the sector’s understanding of assessment professionalism.     

Applicability of non-modular assessment in construction management and allied undergraduate programmes: perspective of the academics involved

Undergraduate programmes on construction management and other closely related built environment disciplines are currently taught and assessed on a modular basis. This is the case in the UK and in many other countries globally. However, it can be argued that professionally oriented programmes like these are better assessed on a non-modular basis, in order to produce graduates who can apply knowledge on different subject contents in cohesion to solve complex practical scenarios in their work environments. The examples of medical programmes where students are assessed on a non-modular basis can be cited as areas where this is already being done. A preliminary study was undertaken to explore the applicability of non-modular assessment within construction management undergraduate education. A selected sample of university academics was interviewed to gather their perspectives on the applicability of non-modular assessment. General acceptance was observed among the academics involved that integrating non-modular assessment is applicable and will be beneficial. All academics stated that at least some form of non-modular assessment was being currently used in their programmes. Examples where cross-modular knowledge is assessed included comprehensive/multidisciplinary project modules and creating larger modules to amalgamate a number of related subject areas. As opposed to a complete shift from modular to non-modular, an approach where non-modular assessment is integrated and its use further expanded within the current system is therefore suggested. This is due to the potential benefits associated with this form of assessment for professionally aligned built environment programmes.     

浅谈本科评估对民办本科教育质量的促进作用

对于新建的民办本科院校来说,主动提出参加教育部第一轮的本科教学工作水平评估是严峻考验,也是发展机遇。迎接评估和做好评估准备工作,是民办本科院校的一项重要任务,也是新建本科院校的一个共同课题。本文结合自己在学校迎评创建中工作,浅谈了本科评估对民办本科教育质量的促进作用。     

景颇语谓语人称标记的多选择性

本文通过景颇语句尾词的语义、语法特点的分析,试图说明景颇语谓语的人称标记与主语之间不是简单的一对一的关系,而是为了增强、扩大句子的语言表达功能而生成的一种语义、语法手段,具有多选择性、多功能性的特点。     

The contribution of assessment experiences to student teachers' self-efficacy in competence-based education

Earlier research argues that educational programmes based on social cognitive theory are successful in improving students' self-efficacy. Focussing on some formative assessment characteristics, this qualitative research intends to study in-depth how student teachers' assessment experiences contribute to their self-efficacy. We interviewed 15 s year student teachers enrolled in a competence based teacher educational programme. Thematic content analysis results reveal that the assessment characteristics ‘authenticity’ and ‘feedback’ exert a positive influence on student teachers self-efficacy during all phases of the portfolio competence assessment. The results provide a fine-grained view of several types of self-efficacy information connected with these assessment phases.     

Quality assurance and assessment in education in Papua New Guinea

Education in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has experienced major shifts and changes over the last decade or so under the National Education Reform. In that context there is recognition for schools to appreciate their local contexts and conditions regarding assessment. The National Educational Department is also aware of the fact that there is need for some level of control from the national perspective to ensure a level playing field for assessment. Along with school–based assessment and national assessment processes, teacher inspections and appraisal, school and curriculum observations and appraisal are also recognized as elemental in ensuring quality control across the country. This article represents the modes and methods of assessment and quality assurance in PNG within the context of the current policy debates and policy development on education reform.     

Assessment options in higher education

This article evaluates an initiative to introduce assessment choice within a taught unit on an undergraduate healthcare programme as a means of addressing poor performance, especially for those students diagnosed with dyslexia. Students’ perceptions of the assessment experience were sought via the use of two focus group interviews (n = 16). The article describes the effect the assessment experience had on students’ stress levels, individual learning styles and achievement. Students’ performance improved and statistical analyses indicated parity between the assessment methods offered with similar performance profiles between students with and without dyslexia. The conclusion reached is that while the introduction of assessment options may be time consuming for staff to develop, the benefits of an enhanced student‐centred approach to assessment may be well worth this investment in time. Although a limited study owing to the small sample size, the results should be of interest to those academics who are concerned with assessment and its impact on students’ achievement.     

Teaching and learning through multiple intelligences in the outcomes-based education classroom

Abstract

As outcomes-based education forms the foundation of the new school curriculum in South Africa, educators are confronted with the challenge of not only meeting the different needs of individual learners, but also of helping learners (many of them previously disadvantaged) to achieve their maximum potential. One way of realising this ideal is by applying Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences in the classroom. The article provides a discussion on both Gardner's multiple intelligences theory and outcomes-based education in South Africa, as it is believed that together they can contribute to solving some of the present problems in South African education. The article defines the use of MI theory in an OBE classroom and suggests specific ways in which educators worldwide could incorporate the different intelligences in their teaching and learning activities.     

Integrating assessment for learning in the teacher education programme at the University of Oslo

Abstract

This article provides an analysis of the integration of assessment for learning principles in the newly revised five-year Master of Education programme at the University of Oslo, Norway, across didactic subjects, pedagogy and school practice. The analysis draws on lecture notes, student videos and student exam papers among 143 student teachers, aiming to identify (a) the operationalisation of the assessment curriculum at the university campus, and in school practice, (b) how the student teachers use assessment principles as tools in their instructional designs and (c) how they self-assess their teaching practice. Our main finding is that student teachers seem to be more concerned with assessing their students than using self-assessment to improve their instruction. Based on the findings, we argue the importance of relating the teaching and learning activities with the assessment situations used in the teacher education programme.     

Electronic assessment in higher education

Assessment is an important cornerstone of education. A world trend in staying abreast of the latest developments in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) has led to an increased demand for electronic assessment in education circles. The critical need and responsibility for higher education to stay on par with the latest techniques regarding assessment subsequently led the University of Johannesburg (UJ) to implement electronic assessment in some departments in 2004. Several challenges led to this exploration into the use of one e‐assessment tool within the University.     

Captions, consistency, creativity, and the consensual assessment technique: New evidence of reliability

The consensual assessment technique (CAT) is a measurement tool for creativity research in which appropriate experts evaluate creative products [Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity in context: Update to the social psychology of creativity. Boulder, CO: Westview]. However, the CAT is hampered by the time-consuming nature of the products (asking participants to write stories or draw pictures) and the ratings (getting appropriate experts). This study examined the reliability of ratings of sentence captions. Specifically, four raters evaluated 12 captions written by 81 undergraduates. The purpose of the study was to see whether the CAT could provide reliable ratings of captions across raters and across multiple captions and, if so, how many such captions would be required to generate reliable scores, and how many judges would be needed? Using generalizability theory, we found that captions appear to be a useful way of measuring creativity with a reasonable level of reliability in the frame of CAT.     

远程开放教育中形成性考核的思考

根据现代远程教育的特点,课程考核采取形成性考核和总结性考核相结合的方式。通过形成性考核,可加强对学生学习过程的引导、指导和管理,改善教与学相对分离的状态,培养学生养成自主学习的习惯,提高学生的综合素质。     

Student perspectives of imaging anatomy in undergraduate medical education

Radiological imaging is gaining relevance in the acquisition of competencies in clinical anatomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of medical students on teaching/learning of imaging anatomy as an integrated part of anatomical education. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate the perceptions of second‐year students participating in a clinical anatomy course over three consecutive academic years. A principal component analysis was used to evaluate the dimensionality of the questionnaire. The variables were summarized using frequencies, mean, median, 25th percentile, 75th percentile, minimum, and maximum. The results demonstrated that students felt the teaching of imaging anatomy influenced learning in the clinical anatomy course (mean = 4.5, median = 5.0) and subsequent clinical courses (mean = 4.4, median = 4.0). Regarding the imaging techniques used in the demonstration of anatomical structures, computed tomography (median = 5.0) and magnetic resonance imaging (median = 5.0) were highly rated. Students suggested the use of additional support material (37.6%) and favored a more practical approach. In conclusion, the results of this work highlight the value of imaging anatomy in learning human anatomy. Students' comments pointed out a need to focus teaching/learning programs toward a more practical rather than theoretical approach as well as a need to provide a better fit between sectional anatomy and clinical cases using imaging anatomy. In order to provide an optimal learning environment to students, it also seems important to create improved media material as an additional resource tool. Anat Sci Educ. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

The multiple effects of international large-scale assessment on education policy and research

This paper introduces a serendipitous special issue of Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, focusing on the rise of large-scale international testing and performance data in school system accountability and the effects that such changes have produced in education policy and research. These developments are theorised in terms of the reworking of the State and networked modes of governance, including the increased involvement of edu-businesses in education policy-making and enactment, and the emergence of new topological spatialities and connectivities associated with globalisation. We contend that the prevalence of international large-scale assessments has greatly enhanced the mutual ‘visibility’ between participating national (and subnational) schooling systems within a commensurate space of measurement, which in turn makes possible new ways of acting in light of ‘evidence-informed’ policy-making. This analysing and theorising serves to both contextualise and introduce the papers included in this special issue. The paper closes by considering the implications of such developments on education policy and research, and how this necessitates the development for a new approach for researchers engaged in policy analysis, now and into the future.     

Indeterminacy in the use of preset criteria for assessment and grading

When assessment tasks are set for students in universities and colleges, a common practice is to advise them of the criteria that will be used for grading their responses. Various schemes for using multiple criteria have been widely advocated in the literature. Each scheme is designed to offer clear benefits for students. Breaking down holistic judgments into more manageable parts is seen as a way to increase openness for students and achieve more objectivity in grading. However, such approaches do not adequately represent the full complexity of multi‐criterion qualitative judgments, and can lead to distorted grading decisions. Six anomalies in the ways assessors approach the grading task are identified, together with several likely contributing factors. Overall, the conclusion is that explicit grading models do not have as strong a theoretical foundation as is commonly supposed, and that holistic appraisal merits further investigation.     

Explicitness of criteria in peer assessment processes for first-year engineering students

This article will outline the motives for the implementation of peer assessment as put into action at the first year of the Civil Engineering course of the University of Minho. The implementation of new assessment methods was a consequence of the successful implementation of peer assessment at other engineering courses. During the semester, three assessment moments took place, in which students assessed the work of their peers. Assessment criteria were defined in a negotiation process between students and teacher. The students subsequently graded the work of their colleagues and had to provide a clear justification for each given grade. The aim of this method is to involve students in the subject, enhance their motivation and deepen their learning. Advantages and disadvantages of peer assessment are discussed. The results that have been obtained so far draw attention to the nature of assessment criteria and the corresponding explicitness.